A fairly recent development in the industry of rolled paper products is solid or xe2x80x9ccorelessxe2x80x9d rolls of material, such as bathroom tissue paper. Generally, these solid or coreless rolls are wound completely of the paper material and do not contain a hollow core or spindle of any type. A divot or recess may be formed in each side of the paper roll at the rotational axis for the roll.
Dispensers for multiple rolls of paper material, such as rolls of bathroom tissue, are also well known in the art. With conventional dispensers of this type, two rolls of tissue may be oriented generally vertically within the dispenser. A mechanical xe2x80x9ccatchxe2x80x9d or lever is provided so that the top roll falls into a dispensing position when the bottom roll is sufficiently depleted. Generally, these conventional dispensers are configured for conventional xe2x80x9ccoredxe2x80x9d rolls incorporating a hollow core and a spindle which extends through the rolls and into slots or pathways defined in the sides of the dispensers.
These conventional dispensers suffer the disadvantage of being incapable of dispensing multiple rolls of the solid or coreless rolls because they cannot hold the coreless rolls within the dispensers and maintain the rolls in proper alignment.
Advances have been made in the art to adapt certain types of conventional cored roll dispensers for use in dispensing solid or coreless rolls of material. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,082,664 describes adapters for dispensing solid or coreless rolls of paper material from conventional dispensers. The adapters include a protrusion that engages in the recess or divot defined in the sides of the coreless rolls and an engaging member having a size and shape so as to fit into and slide within the slots defined in the side walls of the dispenser. A pair of the adapters engage and hold the coreless roll within the dispenser and allow for the roll to move along the slots to a dispensing position. The adapters permit multiple coreless rolls to be dispensed by dispensers originally configured for conventional hollow core roll products.
The present invention relates to an alternative type of adapter for converting a conventional hollow core roll dispenser into a solid or coreless roll dispenser.
Objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be obvious from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention.
The present invention provides an adapter for solid or coreless rolls of paper material, such as bathroom tissue, so that such rolls may be dispensed in a roll dispenser of the type having slots or channels defined on inner side wall members thereof. The solid or coreless rolls may have recesses or divots defined in the vertical sides thereof that also define a rotating axis for the rolls. The adapters allow for dispensing of such coreless or solid rolls of material in conventional dispensers initially designed for dispensing hollow core rolls of material wherein a spindle extended through the hollow core and engaged in the side slots of the dispenser.
The adapters include a carriage member having opposite side members attached to a generally transverse support arm. In one particular embodiment, the transverse support arm and side members are formed as an integral molded plastic component. However, it should be appreciated, that the type of material or forming process for making the adapters is not a limiting feature of the invention.
The transverse support arm has a length so that the side members extend generally parallel along the sides of the coreless roll when such a roll is engaged with the carriage. A pin is disposed on the outboard surface of each side member. This pin has a shape and a length so as to extend into and slide along the slots defined in the dispenser side walls. A protrusion is disposed on the inboard surface of each of the side members. This protrusion has a shape and a length so as to extend at least partially into the recess or divot formed in the sides of the solid or coreless rolls. The protrusion and pin may be coaxially disposed.
The pin and protrusion are disposed on the side members at a distance from the transverse support arm at least as great as the radius of the solid or coreless roll intended to be dispensed.
In one embodiment, the side members comprise plate-like components having angled outer edge surfaces that define an apex. The pin and protrusion may be disposed generally near or at the apex. For example, the side members may comprise generally V-shaped components with the pin and protrusion disposed at the apex of the legs forming the V-shape. In this embodiment, the V-shape is defined by first and second legs disposed at a non-zero angle with respect to each other. This angle may be between about 45 degrees to about 135 degrees. The first and second legs may generally be about the same length. The transverse support arm may extend between ends of the first legs. The other leg or angled edge surface may also have a length measured from the apex that is at least as great as the radius of the solid or coreless roll of material to be dispensed. The end of the second leg may include oppositely angled surfaces generally defining a point at the end of the leg. These angled surfaces act as bearing surfaces, as described in greater detail herein. The end of the first leg may comprise a generally flat end that is disposed at an angle less than 90 degrees with respect to a horizontal axis of the first leg. This flat end also acts as a bearing surface, as described in greater detail herein.
The present invention may also include a dispenser for storing and dispensing multiple rolls of solid or coreless rolls of material. The dispenser incorporates the unique adapter of the invention. Desirably, the dispenser includes a frame having side wall members and a front with a dispensing opening therein. The side wall members have generally vertically oriented and oppositely facing slots defined on the inside surfaces thereof. These slots may have varying angled segments, but extend generally vertically within the dispenser. The slots define a first dispensing position for dispensing a first roll of material, a storage position for a second roll of material in the dispenser above the first roll, and a second dispensing position wherein the stored roll is dispensed after the first roll has reached an essentially depleted state.
The dispenser includes interchangeable first and second adapters that are removeably insertable into the slots for holding the first and second rolls respectively in position within the frame. The adaptors are configured as discussed above.
In the first dispensing position of the first roll of material, a first adapter is oriented in a first angular position. In the storage position of the second roll of material, the second adapter (identical in configuration to the first adapter) is oriented in a different angular position as compared to the angular position of the first adapter. The adapters are interchangeable as either the first or second adapter.
In one embodiment, in the first dispensing position of the first roll of material, the first adapter is oriented so that its transverse support arm is below a rotational axis of the first roll of material. In the storage position of the second roll of material, the second adapter is oriented so that its transverse support arm is above the rotational axis of the second roll of material. In the dispensing position of the first roll, the adapter pivots or rotates as the first roll is depleted and its radius decreases. At some point, the first roll will be depleted to an extent that an edge, for example the edge of the first leg of the V-shaped side member, comes to lie against a bottom surface of the dispenser frame. At this position, the second adapter and second roll material move from the storage position to the second dispensing position.
The second dispensing position is above the first dispensing position, and the first adapter contacts and supports the second adapter in the second dispensing position. For example, in the embodiment wherein the side members are a V-shaped component, the second leg of the V-shape is oriented generally upwards or vertically when the first adapter is at the depleted position of the first roll and the first leg of the V-shaped component lies against the bottom of the dispenser frame. The vertically extending second leg contacts the respective second leg of the second adapter and thus supports the weight of the adapter and second roll within the frame. The second roll is dispensed from this position within the frame.
The second adapter may have generally the same angular orientation in the storage position as in the second dispensing position. In other words, the second adapter need not rotate as it moves from the storage position to the second dispensing position.
The first leg or angled edge surface of the side members may have a length so as to contact against a back wall of the frame in the storage position and second dispensing position.
The second leg or second angled edge surface of the side members may have a generally pointed end defined by oppositely angled surfaces wherein one such angled surface acts as a bearing surface against a front wall of the dispenser as the adapter is held in the storage position and moves to the second dispensing position. When the adapter is used with the first roll of material in the first dispensing position, the opposite angled surface acts as a bearing surface against the second leg or second angled surface of the second adapter in the second dispensing position.